Super Bowl XLII

Overturns conviction of would-be shooter

(Newser) -
A court has overturned the conviction of a man who threatened to shoot up the 2008 Super Bowl, ruling that the threat was too vague. Kurt William Havelock had sent notes to various media outlets saying he planned a “swift and bloody” shooting. “I will sacrifice your children...
More »

Late-night rivals spice up Super Bowl ad competition

(Newser) -
This year's most talked-about Super Bowl commercial was a Late Night promo featuring David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, and an unexpected third party—Jay Leno. Oprah and Letterman appeared in a similar spot when her Chicago Bears lost to his Indianapolis Colts 3 years ago, before Leno became America's Villain. "...
More »

Throwing a football 'doesn't matter to God'

(Newser) -
Tom Brady knows he's a talented quarterback, but he's pretty sure that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. "Look at the attention I get: It's because I throw a football," he says in the September issue of Esquire. "But that's what society values. That's...
More »

Media conglomerate earns $2.7B, thanks mainly to DirecTV deal

(Newser) -
Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate tripled its profit last quarter on improved results from its cable and broadcast networks and the sale of DirecTV, MarketWatch reports. News Corp. earned $2.7 billion, or 91 cents a share, up from $871 million, or 27 cents a share, in the same quarter last...
More »

Denied liquor license, angry man plotted opening fire on crowd

(Newser) -
A would-be bar owner was so angry over being denied a liquor license that he nearly shot up the Super Bowl, the AP reports. Toting an assault rifle and 200 rounds of ammo, Kurt William Havelock got all the way to the Super Bowl parking lot before he thought better...
More »

Crowds cheer at airport, stadium, and on streets of Manhattan

(Newser) -
The Super Bowl champion New York Giants received a New York welcome at today's victory parade. Hundreds of thousands of fans and 50 tons of confetti filled the streets of Lower Manhattan. Players waved atop floats, many catching the action on camcorders as fans bellowed their support, and Michael Strahan...
More »

Super Bowl parade, primary, and Fashion Week descend on NYC

(Newser) -
Even by Big Apple standards, New York is in for a crazy day. The Super Bowl champion Giants are returning home for their victory parade just as voters head to the polls to decide New York’s crucial presidential primary. “It’s one of our busiest days since Sept....
More »

Match-up pulls a record 97.5 million viewers

(Newser) -
Super Bowl advertisers scored big last night as the Giants-Patriots match-up pulled a record 97.5 million viewers, besting the 1996 high of 94.1 million. "You could argue this might have been a perfect game from an advertising perspective,'' said a marketing analyst—who noted that the...
More »

Blame game circles around No. 12

(Newser) -
Tom Brady is used to pulling off daring fourth-quarter rescues, but not last night. Was he to blame? The Providence Journal’s Robert Lee doesn’t think so, and neither does Wes Welker. “He’s everything you want in a quarterback,” the receiver said. "There was no...
More »

Beating the Patriots took a healthy dose of improv

(Newser) -
Facing a team and coach renowned for their preparation, Eli Manning did the smart thing: He improvised. Some of Manning’s most astounding plays in Super Bowl XLII didn’t appear in the playbook, and that includes the miraculous game-saving pass to David Tyree that saw Manning scramble as never...
More »

New York wide receiver uses his head

(Newser) -
Sure, Plaxico Burress' touchdown grab gave the Giants their shocking upset, but the catch of catches, the highlight of highlight reels, was David Tyree's impossible-looking snatch earlier that drive. On third-and-5 with Patriots Rodney Harrison and Asante Samuel looming, Tyree climbed a ladder in midair to come down with a...
More »

Prognostications out in from informed and clueless alike

(Newser) -
Seems everyone has an idea about how things will go down tonight in Phoenix. The Vegas line currently hovers around 12 points in the Patriots' favor, but the Giants' Plaxico Burress has already promised a 23-17 upset victory by his team. ESPN's experts don't have a consensus prediction, although the...
More »

NFL's 8-figure take pales in comparison to TV, tourism dollars

(Newser) -
If you're a business with a stake in Super Bowl revenues, a good weekend lies ahead. Sunday's game is an economic powerhouse, and with millions in ticket sales and merchandising, the NFL is actually one of the lesser winners, BusinessWeek reports. Broadcaster Fox, for example, stands to make a mint:...
More »

Patriots mastermind carries legacy of 12 years with Giants

(Newser) -
In the final game of a historic season, it is a remarkable irony that Patriots coach Bill Belichick must defeat the team he once helped lead to greatness: the Giants, with whom he won two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells. Though he has won three more with...
More »

Marketers want in on Sunday's virtual action

(Newser) -
A TV spot during the actual Super Bowl is still advertising's crown jewel, but marketers are increasingly expanding to Internet news, video, search and social networking. The Web lets TV advertisers stretch their investments farther, reports the Wall Street Journal, while letting smaller players get in on the action without...
More »

With scripted shows stalled, sponsors bet on only game in town

(Newser) -
Advertisers are betting big to get their messages across during Sunday's Super Bowl, and the renewal of the annual competition for viewers' eyeballs is especially fierce this year because of the Writers Guild strike, reports the AP. With scripted shows in reruns, advertisers are feeling pressure to get the most...
More »